Local briefs

Arrest: Topeka fugitive caught after chase in Nevada

Reno, Nev. -- A man wanted on a murder warrant from Kansas was arrested Friday in Reno.

Police said officers attempted to stop James Johnson about 3 a.m. for questioning in a robbery.

Johnson, 25, was riding a mo-ped and fled but was later found at a motel, police said.

Authorities said a records check revealed Johnson was wanted as a fugitive on a murder warrant in Topeka, Kan.

Johnson was taken into custody without incident and was being held at the Washoe County Jail.

Police said an investigation determined Johnson was not involved in the Reno robbery.

State: Siberian visitors to join float trip on Kansas River

A group of students, professors, scientists and journalists from Haskell Indian Nations University, Kansas State University, and The Civil Society Group will play host to a float trip today on the Kansas River.

A delegation of students, faculty and administrators from Gorno-Altaisk State University in the Altai Republic in southern Siberia will join the group.

The 10-mile trip from Lawrence to Eudora is being coordinated by Dave Murphy and the Friends of the Kaw. It's expected to last about seven hours.

The two groups will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the KOA campground, 1473 U.S. Highway 40.

A delegation of Haskell students and faculty visited the Altai Republic in 2001. Their hosts' trip to the United States is underwritten with grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Agency for International Development.